Smoothies are a wonderful meal because they often can be adapted from what is available at the time. And I enjoy drinking them during busy times. Here’s one of my favorites. It’s delicious enough that my younger brother even forgot it was healthy.

Ingredients
1                          banana
1/2 to 1 cup    frozen berries (raspberries are the favorite)
1/2 to 1 cup    non-fat yogurt (Stonyfield has a yogurt called Banilla that is  simply perfect for this smoothie, but otherwise french vanilla works well)
1 Tbsp              Nutella (heaping) (I keep planning on trying plain old cocoa powder and forgetting)
Milk (dairy, soy or rice – you pick) – just enough to smoothie-fie
Wheat germ (or other healthy additives.) – enough to be good for you, not enough to change flavor

Instructions
Throw ingredients into a blender. Puree away!

This should make enough for two smoothies or one really large smoothie.

*Side note – if drinking this smoothie on your drive to work make sure you have a toothbrush. Raspberry seeds are unsightly.

I love our local farmer’s markets. I try to show my support for our farmers by purchasing the vegetables they have available. This also allows me to eat more seasonally.

Sometimes what I buy doesn’t work with any of the recipes I was in the mood for. Or is something I’m not sure how to prepare. Or is something I’m the only one willing to try eating.

Last week I was in the mood for a salad but didn’t find any lettuce at the farmer’s market. Instead I found some Zucchini and Summer Squash.

I was on The Kitchn looking for a new and novel way to prepare the veggies when I came across a recipe that suggested that the squashes be eaten raw and in salad form. I used this recipe, Summer Salad Recipe: Squash Ribbon, as inspiration.

Salad Ingredients:

1 whole Zucchini
1 whole Summer squash
2 Green Onions
1/2 Cup Crumbled or Cubed Feta Cheese
1/2 Cup Golden Raisins.

1. Create lengthwise ribbons out of Zucchini and Summer squash. I used a vegetable peeler.
2. Sliver the Green onion
3. Mix Salad ingredients together.

As a salad dressing I would use any kind of Balsamic vinegrette dressing you have on hand but I made my own using equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar, some Italian seasoning, garlic powder and a pinch of sugar.

It’s a wonderfully crisp fresh tasting salad. And would be fantastic for someone like my mom who is allergic to lettuce but eats it anyways because she likes salad.

One of my favorite foods is eggs. Eggs are so versatile, scrambled, over easy, or hardboiled there are tons of ways of eating them. Eggs are a great recovery food after running. During my first Ultramarathon, one of the aid stations had deviled eggs, it quickly became my favorite aid station.

We usually keep some hardboiled eggs in the fridge. As I mentioned they are a great post-run snack and they are perfect for easy to prepare lunches.

But my hubby and I like our egg sandwiches prepared in very different ways.

The same four ingredients – 2 hardboiled eggs, 2 slices of toast, some mayonnaise and a dash of salt, look very different in his sliced egg sandwich and my mashed egg sandwich. It’s simply a matter of preference. I can’t stand losing slices of egg from my sandwich, he can’t stand the texture of the mashed eggs.

And then come the slicing debate.

At least it makes it easy to spot who’s ‘wich belongs to which person.

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Although I like to be flexitarian I like to try foods. So here’s a list called the omnivore’s one hundred. I guess it’s a list of foods to try before you die. I’ve never heard of some of them. And I suppose I’ve eaten whole bugs before, not on purpose but swallowed them while running or biking. Gross I know.

The Omnivore’s Hundred

Here’s what I want you to do:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

I like food. But I also get very bored with food. I can’t stand eating similar things day after day. I even have a hard time eating leftovers.

Not my hubby, he could survive on a diet of rice/ramen, frozen fish sticks, and frozen vegetables forever. He does however enjoy eating meat with almost every meal.

I however have recently been heading back towards a more flexitarian diet. What’s a flexitarian? I’ve heard it described as either someone who tries to reduce their meat consumption or a vegetarian who occasionally eats meat.

I tend to be a more unconscious flexitarian. I don’t actively eliminate meat, I don’t actively try to eat only vegetarian. I simply often find myself looking at my meals that day to realize that I didn’t consume any meat products. It simply is not what I chose that day.

When I choose to eat meat I try to avoid the processed stuff (frozen fish stick…yuck). And I mostly do it because I either really suddenly crave the meat, or because I’m making food for the both of us.

I think the idea that one does not need meat with every meal, is starting to catch on. I was at a race at NHTI in Concord and a table in their cafeteria had a flier on it “Be flexitarian, eliminate meat one day a week”. Having no true definition, this is a true statement. Several environmental blogs encourage eating a meatless meal one day a week to improve the environment. Whatever the reasons I continue to enjoy meals without meat.

I’m considering doing a conscientious vegetarian week or two soon. I mostly want to do it to try new recipes to use in my daily flexitarian routine. But I need ideas.

I do eat a lot of eggs and dairy. I enjoy Indian foods. I’m not very good at preparing dishes with tofu in it.

What is your favorite vegetarian or vegan dish? Links to recipes would be much appreciated.

I recently came upon Kraft foods’ home farming community sponsored by Triscuit. I actually liked the site, it’s a very good primer to growing vegetables at home. And here’s my more detailed review.

They have vegetable profiles. Basic, cartoony, but simple enough to make growing broccoli seem easy.

My only complaint, very little variety. The Crop guide only includes Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplants, Beets, Carrots, Onions, Scallions, Radishes, Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Peas, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Arugula, Collard Greens, Lettuce, Spinach, Swiss Chard and a variety of Basic Herbs. That seems like a lot right?

There’s no mention of Squashes, of Pumpkins, of Fruit, of Kohlrabi, of Potatoes, of Asparagus. And the cute little profiles don’t talk about different varieties of the vegetables, the heirloom varieties. Carrots, tomatoes, peppers, all come in a rainbow of colours. Some varieties of heirloom plants do better in different climates. The guide does not mention varieties at all. It’s very much a simple caricature of very basic simplified vegetables.

Growing your vegetables at home seems to have a great deal more information. Resident expert Paul James has various videos as well as texts on various topics including Preparing your Home Farm, Planting your Home Farm, Harvesting and Planting Schedules, Using and Storing your Harvest and Nurturing your Home Farm.

These sections are full of information that the new gardener will find incredibly useful and that the experienced gardener may have opinions on. For example, in Pests/Diseases, he recommends using fresh-bagged soil to avoid diseases instead of soil from your yard or last vegetable garden. I don’t necessarily like the reliance on fresh bagged soil. I do like that he recommends home organic recipes for getting rid of pests though.

There is even a recommendation section for those looking to start a home farm. Input your location (sadly it only takes US Zip codes), how much space you have available with at least 6 hours a day of direct sunlight, and how much time you are willing to devote to your garden.

The following suggested vegetables were offered for someone looking to grow in my zip code on a small balcony willing to devote as little time as possible (See the saved link here).

The following suggested vegetables were offered for someone looking to grow in my zip code with room for two large raised beds willing to devote as much time as necessary (See the saved link here). And the recommendations seem to be almost identical in terms of plants recommended. I’m quite sure that plants are chosen based on location rather than space. At least in my zip code.

My overall impression of the site: Great for Beginners.

Get people growing. Then, once they have some momentum, lets educate them about heirloom varieties and organic methods.

What are your favorite Gardening Websites?

I love dried fruit, I especially love prunes. They aren’t small like raisins or crasins. They aren’t tough like apples or apricots. They aren’t crunchy like banana. They have just the right combination of size, juiciness, and tenderness. They are one of my favorites as a snack.

And they are known for their beneficial properties. One of which has to do with regularity.

This association is actually why some of my friends dislike prunes. Because they don’t want to eat something that they believe will make them more regular. They think of little old ladies drinking prune juice because *insert details you really didn’t want them to tell you*.

So apparently a prune company in California has decided to associate prunes with their fresh counterpart… plums.

That’s right, the Sensational Superfruit – California Dried Plums. According to their website, they are known as dried plums in the US. But my coworkers don’t agree. And neither does the packaging on my larger sized container. Maybe it’s a regional thing?

Either way I really love the packaging. I’ve been getting these little sample size packages at running race recently. Will the packaging take the focus away from little old ladies digestive issues? Probably not if their other promotional website is Tummy Wise. But some of the recipes they list for prunes… I mean dried plums look absolutely delicious.

How do you feel about prunes/dried plums? What are they called in your area?

To be honest I’m not a fan of Spring. I love winter with snow to ski and snowshoe on. I like autumn when the air is so crisp. I tolerate the heat of Summer. It’s not that I hate Spring. Spring has many beautiful lovely days, gorgeous colours, and a sense of starting over again. What I can’t stand is the rain. I guess Fall gets some of this cold miserable rain too, but I seem to notice it more.

It has been one of those cold rainy spells here in New Hampshire.  Cooper comes in looking like he belongs in a reggae band. I’m taking advantage to actually rest my body after a 20 mile race.

So I decided to make my favorite summer Salsa, Avocado Corn Salsa, to remind me of the good times and sunny days ahead.

The first part of my post should really be entitled “everything I know about preparing avocado”. Which I admit isn’t much.

First make sure the Avocado is ripe. In Haas avocado this means that the fruit is almost black. Not having grown up in an avocado eating family I didn’t realize that the first time I tried to make this recipe.

Slice the avocado in two and split the fruit. The Pit will stay on one side of the split. If the pit is round you can take a knife and stick it in the pit (as above). Rotate the pit using the knife and it should come out cleanly (as below).

Then comes my favorite avocado tip, as taught to me by my father-in-law. Dice the avocado, while the flesh is still in the skin.

The diced flesh can then be easily scooped out of the skin. And added to the bowl.

A side note, I love how the avocado flesh just oozes in that picture. It looks kinda creamy. And Avocado is full of Omega-3 fatty acids. Which are some of the “good” fats.

Add diced red onion, cilantro, and tomato (you could even add red pepper). I used a can of corn in this recipe, but you could used cooked fresh or thawed frozen.

And don’t forget the garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon and lime juices.

I’m a fan of pretty bland food, so I generally just use red pepper flakes in my salsa. I suppose you could use jalapenos, but I experimented with that once. As a contact lens wearer I would strongly advise against repeating my experiment.

I’m not sure where I heard this tip, so it may be an old wives tale, but apparently if you put the Avocado pits back into the salsa/guacamole you have just made it keeps the avocados green. This prevents a nasty looking brown mess.

Once the salsa is combined to liking, allow to sit for at least an hour to allow flavours to blend.

Ingredients

• 4 whole Avocados
• 1 can Corn Kernels
• 2 whole Roma Tomatoes
• ½ whole Large Red Onion
• ½ cups Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• 1 Tablespoon Garlic
• 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Pepper

Preparation Instructions

1. Cut the Avocado in half. Remove the pit. Dice the avocado flesh while still held in place by avocado skin. Scoop out diced avocado and place in bowl.

2. Dice tomatoes and red onion, chop Cilantro, mince garlic. Add to avocado bowl.

3. Drain corn, add to mixture.

4. Add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper (to taste), lemon juice, lime juice and olive oil.

5. Mix and put aside for at least an hour to allow flavours to blend.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think of it if you try it.

So I have a housemate. He is male. A young 22 year old male. His name is Ben.

Ben is also an intern at my work. So today as I was rushing out the door to go to obedience class I asked Ben to get some Spinach for me if he went to the grocery store. After some discussion about how disgusting it was that I wanted to add spinach to my smoothie he agreed to pick some up.

What I didn’t realize was that Ben was not aware of what Spinach looked like. So he went to the individual working the produce aisle. The teenage male brought him to the greens aisle and showed him this.

This is not Spinach. It’s not even a regular lettuce. It’s a very bitter lettuce.

This is exactly why I think the slow food movement is important. Teaching children about what base ingredients look like.

Are all 20-something year old and younger males this ignorant of their veggies? Convinced that they must taste bad but unaware of what the produce even looks like in the store?

Once upon a time a young woman lived in the city. She ran on sidewalk, she walked to the store and she dined with her friends several times a week. Some of her friends were vegetarians so it was not unusual for the meals created to be vegetarian. And to this day the young woman still loves vegetarian food, despite the fact that the man she loves would never touch it. The end.

I went to the farmer’s market on Saturday. I came home with some amazing cucumbers and tomatoes that I couldn’t wait to eat. I came up with an amazing wrap sandwich to get the vegetables into my belly. I am now addicted.  I’m serious, I have had at least one every day for the last four days. At least it’s healthy.

So take a wrap (not only am I eating lots of veggies but on wheat wraps) and put some hummus on it. I’m partial to the garlic lover’s hummus, but any will do.

Sprinkle on some crumbled Feta.

Throw on some slivers or slices of cucumbers.

And some slices of tomatoes.

And as a final (optional) touch a little bit of tzatziki sauce. Because this wrap can use some yogurt, dill and even more cucumber.

And that’s it. Wrap it up and devour the tastes of fresh summer food.

In summary, the ingredients:

• Wraps
• Hummus
• Crumbled Feta Cheese
• Cucumber
• Tomato
• Tzatziki sauce (optional)

As a little girl I loved to cook, and I was good at it. Because my mother was such a terrible cook and wanted to encourage my talent she bought me a cooking book. Everything was going swimmingly until I hit a recipe that required American cheese.  In Canada, at least at the time, there was no such thing as American cheese.  In fact, I believe I did no know what American cheese was until I moved to the United States.  We generally just substituted American cheese with Cheddar cheese.

Well it turns out that American Cheese does exist in Canada, by another, more descriptive name. In Canada, it’s called processed cheese.

At first Adam hated when I called it processed instead of American.  I think he thought I was making fun of his country. No I was making fun of the cheese. Especially when it’s processed enough that it may as well be a slab of plastic wrapped in plastic. Honestly, I don’t understand why a country would want to claim a cheese that’s not really a cheese as their own.  But if people want to call it American I’ll do my best to call it American when I’m going to buy some to make grilled cheese with, or to give to the puppy in his Kong.

Our fridge pretty much constantly has American/Processed cheese in it lately. The pup thinks it’s gourmet treat. But we are still fans of wonderful, “real” cheeses. I mean, I’m sure the slow food movement is all for cheddars and frowns on Processed.